Because of recent technological advancements in the fields of computers and telecommunications, there has been a substantial increase in demand for "high tech" products. Not only do consumers want more sophisticated computer, telecommunication and other "high-tech" systems, they want it at a more economical costs. Because of this consumer desire, high tech industries are gearing their manufacturing techniques to produce products that are made as economical as possible, with improved performance and reliability.
One of the backbone industries supporting many high tech industries, including the computer and telecommunication fields, involves the manufacturing of semiconductor wafers. Semiconductor wafers are used extensively for the manufacturing of integrated circuits, semiconductor devices, and other circuits and/or components. The manufacturing of an integrated circuit or device typically comprises several manufacturing stages, including processing the semiconductor wafer to form the desired circuits and/or devices, forming a copper seed layer on the base plate of the semiconductor, plating the copper seed layer with a layer of copper having a desired thickness, and dicing the wafers in order to form separate integrated circuits and/or components. The invention described herein involves the plating aspect of the overall integrated circuits/devices manufacturing process.
Because of high tech industries' need for manufacturing techniques that economically produce products that have improved performance and reliability characteristics, this need is also a driving force in the field of plating semiconductor wafers. In terms of performance, it is desired for a method and apparatus for plating semiconductor wafers that achieves improved uniformity of the plating deposition across the surface of the wafer. In terms of reliability, it is desired for a method and apparatus for plating semiconductor wafers that accomplishes the desired plating of the semiconductor wafer, without subjecting the wafer to unnecessary harsh environments. In terms of manufacturing costs, it is desired for a method and apparatus for plating semiconductor wafers that accomplishes the desired plating of the semiconductor wafer in a relatively fast manner.
These needs are satisfied with the method and apparatus of plating wafers, substrates and other articles in accordance with the invention as described hereinafter.